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Penguins/NHL

Penguins lose another divisional game, this time to Islanders

Seth Rorabaugh
Seth Rorabaugh
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Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (30) defends against Penguins center Evgeni Malkin during the first period Saturday.
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Penguins left wing Drew O’Connor (10) skates with the puck against Islanders during the first period Saturday.
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Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson plays the puck against Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov (28) during the first period Saturday.
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Penguins center Sidney Crosby shoots against Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov during the first period Saturday.
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Islanders left wing Anthony Duclair scores against Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry during the second period Saturday.
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Penguins left wing Michael Bunting (8) celebrates with Rickard Rakell (67) after scoring against the Islanders on Saturday.
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Islanders center Kyle MacLean (32) and Penguins defenseman Owen Pickering collide during the second period Saturday.

Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan has seen enough of the New York Islanders to know what they’re about.

And he knows, even if they’ve largely struggled this season, the Islanders still present a stiff challenge to the Penguins.

“They’ve had their fair share of ups and downs in this first part of the season,” Sullivan said Friday in Cranberry. “As have most teams, ourselves included. Every time we play the Islanders, it’s always a hard-fought game. It’s always an emotional game. We wouldn’t expect anything different.”

That postulate was validated Saturday as the Islanders defeated the Penguins, 6-3, at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. It was the Penguins’ fourth consecutive loss to the Metropolitan Division rival (0-2-2), dating back to last season.

Saturday’s loss dropped the Penguins ramshackle record within the division this season to 2-7-1.

“We weren’t good enough,” Sullivan said to media in Elmont via audio provided by the team’s media relations staff. “We needed to be better.”

Islanders forward Brock Nelson appeared to open the scoring 4:59 into regulation, but the Penguins issued a coach’s challenge claiming goaltender interference. The officials agreed and euthanized the would-be goal.

The Islanders scored in a legal fashion at 14:47 of the first period when forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau recorded his eighth goal of the season.

After Pageau won a draw in the Penguins’ right circle against forward Sidney Crosby, Islanders forward Mathew Barzal took possession in the circle, curled around toward the high slot then backtracked a bit to shake free of Penguins forward Rickard Rakell. With a bit of space, Barzal chucked the puck to the left side of the crease where Pageau knocked the puck dead and swatted in a forehand shot that clunked off goaltender Tristan Jarry’s blocker and bounced into the cage on the near side. Barzal had the only assist.

Penguins forward Michael Bunting responded with his 10th goal during a power-play sequence at 16:03 of the opening frame.

Under pressure from Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov, Crosby lost possession of the puck in New York’s right circle. Rakell tried to provide support and claim the puck at the right dot but ended up kicking it forward, allowing Bunting to grip and rip a wrister from the lower rim of the circle to the far side, beating goaltender Ilya Sorokin’s blocker on the far side where it rung off the post and deflected into the cage. Rakell registered the only assist.

Crosby was originally credited with an assist, which would have moved him past Mario Lemieux for the top spot on the team’s all-time assist list (1,034), but after reviewing the play, official scorers took the point away.

Islanders forward Anthony Duclair’s third goal came 5:39 into the second period.

Penguins defenseman P.O Joseph broke up a pass attempt at his own blue line in front of the visiting bench but couldn’t corral the puck. That allowed Nelson to chop it forward into the Penguins’ zone on the right wing, supplying linemate Kyle Palmieri an opportunity to generate a two-on-one rush with Duclair against Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea. Going deep into the right circle, Palmieri slipped a pass past Shea to the slot for Duclair, who sizzled a wrister by Jarry’s blocker. Assists belonged to Palmieri and Nelson.

Almost three minutes later, Islanders forward Anders Lee scored his 14th goal at the 8:36 mark.

Taking a pass at the center point of the offensive zone, Romanov golfed a one-timer into a mass of humanity in the crease. Lee appeared to inadvertently deflect the puck wide to the right of the cage. As he skated backward along with the puck, he shuffled a forehand shot into the blue paint that was initially blocked by stick of Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, who wound up directing the rebound into his own cage. Lee was credited with the goal. There were no assists.

The Islanders went up by a field goal 63 seconds later via forward Casey Cizikas’ second goal.

Accepting a feed at the Penguins’ left point, Romanov lobbed a wrister wide to the far side. Cizikas, battling with Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelyck for position, managed to get the forehand of his stick blade on the puck at the lower rim of the right circle and deftly deflected the puck by Jarry’s left skate on the near side. Romanov and forward Bo Horvat had assists.

Penguins forward Noel Acciari’s fourth goal came at 13:49 of the second period.

From New York’s left corner, Penguins forward Blake Lizotte dished a pass to Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson above the near circle. Surveying the scene for a moment, Karlsson snapped a wrister toward a phalanx of bodies above the crease. Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson appeared to block that shot but fell on top of Sorokin in the process. That jarred the puck free in the blue paint and Acciari cleaned it up with an easy forehand shot. Penguins forward Matt Nieto and Karlsson collected assists.

Rakell’s team-best 17th goal almost came at the last second of the second frame (the 19:56 mark to be precise).

From the Islanders’ left point, Grzelcyk chipped a bouncing puck toward the cage. Stationed between the hashmarks, Rakell managed to get his stick blade on the puck and sent a deflection through Dobson’s legs and past Sorokin’s glove. Grzelcyk and forward Evgeni Malkin generated assists.

Cizikas cushioned his team’s advantage with another goal at 14:43 of the third period.

After Crosby beat Horvat on a draw in New York’s right circle, Karlsson fired a wrister from the right point that was off the mark to the far side and hit off the left corner boards. The rebound deflected to the near half wall where Islanders forward Simon Holmstrom hustled past Grzelcyk and backhand chopped the puck to the neutral zone. Cizikas chased down the puck, gained entry into the Penguins’ zone on the right wing and attacked the cage. Upon arrival, he lifted a wrist shot past Jarry’s glove on the near side. The only assist went to Holmstrom.

Lee capped the scoring with an empty net goal at 19:38 of the final frame. There were no assists.

Jarry’s record tumbled to 8-6-2 after he made 28 saves on 33 shots.

“They played a good team game,” Jarry said. “They had a little bit more jump than we did and they were able to make some plays.”

Notes:

• The Penguins’ only longer active losing streaks against individual teams are against the Edmonton Oilers (0-7-0) and Ottawa Senators (0-3-2).

• Rakell (141 points) surpassed forward Vic Hadfield (140), defenseman Kevin Hatcher (140) and defenseman Brian Dumoulin (139) for 63rd place on the franchise’s career scoring list.

• Bunting’s goal was his 200th career point.

• In 80 career games against the Islanders, Malkin has 93 points (36 goals, 57 assists).

• Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves appeared in his 400th career game.

• Penguins forwards Kevin Hayes and Jesse Puljujarvi as well as defenseman Nate Clurman were healthy scratches.

Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.

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